Smash it up and start again: The Pinnacle (non) skyscraper becomes 22 Bishopgate

The Pinnacle project was abandoned after a short stump was built and work stopped - and now this is proposed;

22 Bishopsgate will be the Square Mile’s tallest building at 278 metres — not much shorter than the Shard, across the water in Southwark. It will also contain a public viewing gallery, plus what looks like being London’s highest restaurant and bar (although the Shard is a taller structure, its food offerings are on lower decks). Up to 12,000 people will work in the building. The developers also promise plenty of additional features, including:

“…a range of cafés, food outlets and a conference centre, complimented with amenities such as a medical centre, library, a wellness suite, and specialised sports facilities. 22 Bishopsgate will host art installations, curated events and seminars, while on the ground floors, there will be a programme of coached sessions ranging from cookery through to language lessons.”http://londonist.com/2015/06/yaaaawwwwwnnnnn.php

Unlike the Shard, the public viewing gallery will be free. I'm sure they'll find a way to curtail it some way to stop hordes of oiks going up. Blacked out windows or something.

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A skyscraperish new building (well, five years old or so) at Fenchurch St has a free very high up viewing platform. Calls itself London's highest public park because they have lots of benches and greenery. They (link) do make you apply for tickets - some are available on the day but it's not guaranteed - and show ID upon entering but that's really the only way they could operate safely.

They don't stop you taking your own food and drink but they probably make decent money from the bar/coffee shop up there anyway.

Way better view than the Shard, where the windows are too dirty to take good pictures out of.

This scheme has been revised. They've reduced the height, because it would cost too much for the specialised cranes that wouldn't break through into safe airspace. (Nothing in London can be higher than 1000ft, even temporarily). But, in order to maintain the same floor space, any subtlety to the massing has been ditched. It's now a monolithic slab from ground to sky. Horrifying.

Well under construction now, with the lift cores up to level 10 or so.